I come from what I consider a small city. I would go to the grocery store near my house and discover the manager went to high school with my dad. I would get facebook messages from Mom’s who’s kid and I have the same doctor. My band camp director knew my uncle. My dad was threatened by my high school band director when they were in high school together. At the high school I went to. My family members tell me who’s classes to take, then my profs would be honored that they were recommended by my grandmother. I get recognized at Tim Horton’s because the barista’s husband know’s my dad. Saskatoon is not large. So when I saw a big city like London England for the first time, I was stunned.

To me it meant the possibilities that can come from life, and that you never have to change to fit in. You can be you and still find your people. Everything about it just screamed possibility to me. The craziness that was downtown and where all the tourists hung out just meant that the world isn’t as small as I thought. The outskirts where the small shop owners are, where the community is tight knit and the shop owners would run across the street to ask where the tourists should have lunch; that way they wouldn’t get food poisoning from the restaurant next store. (Yes this really did happen, still hands down the best part of the trip.)

Except the one thing that meant the most to me was the London Underground. I was able to go anywhere. That was when I first realized that nothing should ever hold me back, and I can do and conquer whatever I want. I also knew that I can outsmart whoever and whatever I feel that needs to be outsmarted.

Growing up I was taught to let nothing stand in my way. Not to let others define me, or tell me what I can accomplish. Apparently the London Underground was something my mother thought I could conquer, but my father didn’t think so. So when I would say let’s take the underground then “run ahead”, my dad was stunned. It was fun to see that something so basic and so practical can overcome stereotypes from the people who didn’t even know they were stereotyping.